An India bound flight loaded with the first batch of medical supplies donated by the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation departed Shanghai, China yesterday. The donations arrived at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport last night and were received by the Indian Red Cross Society which would help distribute the supplies across the country. The supplies are part of the donation pledged to seven more countries announced today by the two foundations, namely Azerbaijan, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. (Photo: Business Wire)

Collectively, these seven countries will receive a total of 1.7 million face masks, 165,000 test kits as well as protective clothing and medical equipment such as ventilators and forehead thermometers. With this announcement, the two Foundations have now donated essential medical supplies to 23 Asian countries totalling 7.4 million masks; 485,000 test kits; 100,000 sets of protective clothing along with other medical equipment.

The first batch of medical supplies for India arrived in Delhi last night and were received by the Indian Red Cross Society. Similar to the arrangement with the Italian Red Cross Society, the Indian charity will facilitate the distribution of these supplies in the country. The donations are expected to reach other countries in the coming days.

Mr. Neel Kamal Singh, Deputy Secretary, Indian Red Cross Society took receipt of the donations from Mr. Vivek Sehgal, Manager, Alibaba Cloud India, acting on behalf of the Jack Ma Foundation and the Alibaba Foundation. Ms. Ma Jia, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of China in India, was also present to show the embassy’s support towards this humanitarian initiative.

"Government of India has taken extensive steps to manage the COVID-19 situation. To supplement the efforts of government, Indian Red Cross has mobilised first tranche of supplies consisting of facemasks, protective body suits and essential medical equipment. This consignment, which was received yesterday, has been donated by Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation. Indian Red Cross appreciates their magnanimity at this difficult juncture," said Mr. R.K Jain, IAS (Rtd), Secretary General, Indian Red Cross.

"We are one with the global community in the intense battle to protect all families against Covid-19. We are committed to doing everything we can to make a difference, most importantly by sourcing these supplies and overcoming logistical challenges to get the medical supplies to where they are needed as fast as we can," said the Jack Ma Foundation.

These donations are among a number of aid initiatives from the Alibaba Foundation and Jack Ma Foundation to support the areas of the world affected by the Covid-19 crisis, sourcing and delivering various types of medical supplies to countries across Asia, North America, Latin America, Europe and Africa. The donation by the two foundations to Vietnam is in addition to the recent donation by Lazada Group, Alibaba Group’s local e-commerce business unit in Southeast Asia.

More initiatives and donations may be announced in the coming days and weeks.

The Jack Ma Foundation and the Alibaba Foundation also supported the publication of a handbook with key lessons and experience from doctors, healthcare workers, and hospital administrators at the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine (FAHZU), who were on the frontline of COVID-19 treatment in China and crucial to slowing its spread. The handbook is available for global medical health professionals at https://covid-19.alibabacloud.com/.

Follow @JackMa and @foundation_ma on Twitter for the latest efforts of Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation to support the global fight against COVID-19.

About Jack Ma Foundation

Established by Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba Group, the Jack Ma Foundation was founded on 15 December 2014 and has been focusing on education, entrepreneurship, women’s leadership, and the environment. The Foundation aspires to be a reliable, participative, and sustainable philanthropic organization. The Jack Ma Foundation has so far supported projects worldwide including the Jack Ma Rural Education Program, the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative, the Ma & Morley Scholarship Program, and Jordan's Queen Rania Foundation. Additionally, the Foundation has also funded a number of projects in its priority areas. The Jack Ma Foundation is committed to empowering rural educators, entrepreneurs, rural children, young start-ups, and women to equip them for the future and to help build a happier, healthier, more sustainable and more inclusive society.

About Alibaba Foundation

The Alibaba Foundation, established in December 2011, aims to create a culture that encourages people to get involved in philanthropy, make it sustainable and genuinely contribute to civil society and nature. Its key funding aspects include water protection, environmental awareness promotion and development of green organizations. Alibaba Group is committed to devoting a percentage of its annual income to the Alibaba Foundation to ensure stable long-term funding that will allow for timely response in the event of natural disasters or expansion of philanthropic projects.